Provincial and Territorial Update – May 2, 2025
Provincial and Territorial Update: An overview of the Provincial Legislative and Territories Legislative Updates for the week of May 2, 2025. Written by Wes McLean.
New Brunswick
- The province is standing by its decision to ask all seven school districts to cut a total of $43 million from what they expected in their budgets — a move that resulted in layoff notices earlier this week in Anglophone West. Premier Susan Holt said the Department of Education’s goal is to add teachers to classrooms to improve literacy and numeracy scores. “We want the money to move from offices to classrooms, to teachers and to students, and we’ve asked the districts to partner with us in doing that,” said Holt.
- New Brunswick families that struggle to have children will be reimbursed for some costly fertility treatments. The provincial government is spending $1.9 million to cover the cost of one round of in vitro fertilization and other forms of insemination for patients in need. Premier Susan Holt made the announcement Wednesday at the province’s only fertility clinic in Moncton. She said the support is overdue.
- New Brunswick’s child and youth watchdog will require the government to report quarterly on whether new funding for child welfare is being spent as promised. This comes a week after Kelly Lamrock said the budget for this year would be “devastating” to children and youth in the province’s care. “I have advised the Department of Social Development that we will be exercising the advocate’s powers under the Child, Youth and Senior Advocate Act to require quarterly reporting on the prevention and intervention measures contained in the Child and Youth Well-Being Act, including integrated services,” Lamrock said in a statement Wednesday.
- Prime Minister Mark Carney made promises during the election campaign about making life more affordable for Canadians, but his priority should be “getting the economy going again,” says David Campbell, a former adviser to the New Brunswick government on economic matters. “There are also other more structural, longer-term issues around the lack of investment in Canada, lack of natural resources development,” Campbell said. “The number one priority is to get started on good policies to foster economic development.”
Nova Scotia
- Nova Scotia Premier Tim Houston seemed to be downplaying rumours that he’s jockeying to become the next leader of the Conservative Party of Canada, but acknowledged Wednesday that he’s taken lessons to learn French — a nod to the bilingualism that’s expected of federal party leaders. “No, I’m focused on, well, I’m focused on Nova Scotia,” he said at a media availability in Halifax when asked if he’s interested in the federal leadership.
- Officials with Northern Pulp have filed paperwork requesting an extension of the company’s creditor protection as they seek to determine if there is a viable future for the operation in Nova Scotia. The application, which will be heard Friday in the British Columbia Supreme Court, would extend the stay of proceedings until July 18.
- Premier Tim Houston is going ahead with an election promise to eliminate parking fees at health-care sites in Nova Scotia starting Thursday morning. The move was a pledge from all three parties in the last provincial election, but came with concerns that parking is already an issue at busy locations like the IWK Health Centre and Victoria General Hospital in Halifax and Dartmouth General Hospital. Houston said people have been eager to see the change.
- The only Nova Scotia Conservative to win a seat in the federal election says tariffs, Donald Trump and the collapse of the NDP vote led to losses for his party in his home province. Chris d’Entremont, who will again represent Acadie-Annapolis in Ottawa, told CBC’s As It Happens on Tuesday that the Conservative Party could have had a quicker response to concerns about the U.S. president as “it was really on the minds of electors as we were going door to door.” He also said an earlier visit from party leader Pierre Poilievre also could have made a difference.
Prince Edward Island
- The P.E.I. government is pausing its plan to create a tiny-home development in the municipality of Miltonvale Park, just outside Charlottetown. That plan includes upwards of 200 tiny home units — typically defined as less than 500 square feet but containing traditional kitchens and bathrooms — to go on 65 acres of land the province owns on Sleepy Hollow Road, past the Provincial Correctional Centre.
- P.E.I. Premier Rob Lantz apologized in the legislature Wednesday after a former substitute teacher pleaded guilty to sexual touching at a primary school. “When Island families send their children to the education system here, our role is to educate them, but the primary, fundamental responsibility is to keep them safe. And obviously in this case, that did not happen,” the Progressive Conservative premier said.
- A day after the federal election, politicians in P.E.I. wanted to know what the provincial Progressive Conservatives’ priorities would be for the new Liberal government. Premier Rob Lantz’s answer to those questions Tuesday in the legislature wasn’t surprising — reducing tolls on the Confederation Bridge and fees to take a ferry across the Northumberland Strait.
- Some P.E.I. fishermen are calling for more thorough dredging of the Island’s harbours after a challenging start to the lobster fishing season on the North Shore. More than a dozen North Rustico lobster fishing boats were stranded offshore by a combination of sandbars, high winds and an extremely low tide on Tuesday afternoon, and issues were also reported in Naufrage and Milligan’s Wharf. That led some fishers to hit the water early Wednesday, with some rushing through their gear to ensure they made it back into the harbour before low tide.
Newfoundland and Labrador
- Oil production at Bay du Nord is now slated to begin in 2031, with the director of the stalled offshore project saying he’s “cautiously optimistic” it will go ahead. That’s about three years later than previous estimates, made before Bay du Nord was put on hold nearly two years ago. Bay du Nord — which would be Canada’s first deep-water oil project — was paused by Norwegian energy giant Equinor in May 2023, sending shockwaves through the Newfoundland and Labrador oil industry amid an energy conference in St. John’s happening at the same time.
- Finance Minister Siobhan Coady says there was only one transfer from a $22-million contingency fund set up to cover “unforeseen expenditures” by the Newfoundland and Labrador government in the last fiscal year. Nearly all of that cash — $21 million of the $22 million available — was transferred to again address a recurring issue that has been repeatedly flagged for nearly a decade.
- Andrew Parsons, Newfoundland and Labrador’s most recent energy minister and MHA for Burgeo-La Poile, has announced his resignation as he steps away from politics. Parsons first announced he wouldn’t be running in the next general election in September, citing a desire to spend more time with a young family. On Thursday, he announced he’ll be out of the office effective immediately.
- Newfoundland and Labrador will have a new premier this weekend when the Liberal Party chooses its next leader. John Abbott and John Hogan were previously in outgoing Premier Andrew Furey’s cabinet, but now they’re facing off as they vie for the leadership. The Liberal convention starts Friday, May 2, at the JAG Soundhouse in St. John’s. The leadership race ends on Saturday, and just under 14,000 members of the provincial party registered to vote.
Quebec
- Quebec Premier François Legault says he spoke with Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney on the phone Thursday to congratulate him on winning last Monday’s election. He said the conversation focused mainly on the economy, upcoming negotiations with U.S. President Donald Trump and immigration. In a statement published on X, Legault said that the two men discussed “the acceleration of projects in the private sector,” notably in defence, aeronautics, critical minerals and artificial intelligence.
- Premier François Legault struck an optimistic tone on Tuesday after Prime Minister Mark Carney’s Liberal party won at least 42 seats in Quebec, the party’s strongest showing in the province in decades. Legault stressed that the two governments needed to work together in the coming trade negotiations with the United States. “We need to work hard, Ottawa and Quebec, to protect businesses, to protect jobs, and I’m happy also that during the campaign, Carney promised not to compromise on Quebec’s interests,” he said.
- The Quebec government says it is rethinking the pace of its plan to electrify the transportation sector and will not pump any more public money into vehicle maker Lion Electric. Economy Minister Christine Fréchette told reporters in Quebec City on Thursday that the government had to make a “difficult decision” about whether to invest more government dollars in the beleaguered company, which manufactured electric school buses and trucks.
- Quebec government is implementing a complete ban on cellphones in schools. “I want students to succeed more,” said Bernard Drainville, Quebec’s Minister of Education, about his government’s decision to implement a ban on cellphones in all elementary and secondary schools in the province.
Ontario
- Premier Doug Ford is shedding more light on the apparent rift between the federal and provincial conservatives following a disappointing loss for the Tories in the federal election. Making an announcement about tough-on-crime measures his government is bringing forward, Ford was asked Wednesday why it is that he didn’t jointly make such points with Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre during the campaign when the federal party was campaigning on the issue. “I shouldn’t interfere in the federal election,” Ford said at first.
- Ontario Premier Doug Ford – calling judicial independence “a joke” – suggested switching to U.S.-style elected judges in remarks that targeted “bleeding hearts” on the bench who grant bail to those accused of crimes and make decisions against his government based on “ideology.” The comments, which the Premier himself described as a “rant,” raised questions about his government’s commitment to an independent judiciary and to the constitutional power of courts to review legislation, including to determine violations of the Charter of Rights and Freedoms.
- Ontario Premier Doug Ford has hailed Liberal Leader Mark Carney for his projected election triumph, promising to work closely with the new prime minister. “I want to start off by congratulating Prime Minister Carney on his victory last night,” Ford told reporters on Tuesday morning. “I also want to congratulate all the other leaders for working hard throughout this campaign.” “I know campaigns are very tough, but at the end of the day, the people have spoken,” Ford said.
- Doug Ford’s government will table Ontario’s budget on May 15, it confirmed at Queen’s Park on Thursday. U.S. President Donald Trump’s chaotic trade war will loom large over the budget, experts recently told CBC News. On Wednesday, Ontario’s Financial Accountability Office (FAO) issued a new report that found U.S. tariffs and Canada’s response could result in 68,100 fewer jobs in the province this year. This is the Ford government’s first budget since winning a third-straight majority government in February. Finance Minister Peter Bethlenfalvy will likely provide an outline of the proposed spending during a keynote address he’s set to deliver at the Empire Club of Canada on May 12.
Manitoba
- Having an around-the-clock health-care aide trained to check the vitals of patients waiting in the emergency room is one of the new measures introduced at Manitoba’s largest hospital after a man died while waiting in for care earlier this year. A critical incident review was launched after Chad Christopher Giffin, 49, died following a nearly eight-hour wait for care at Winnipeg’s Health Sciences Centre on Jan. 7.
- Wally Daudrich, who was recently defeated in the race to lead Manitoba’s Opposition Progressive Conservatives, says he remains a “loyal” member of the party and still plans on seeking the Tory nomination to run in a byelection. The hotel owner and longtime party board member says he hopes to run uncontested in the Spruce Woods constituency. “I’ve been vetted [by] the party. I have gone through all those hoops and I believe I’m ready to run as a candidate,” Daudrich said in an interview Wednesday.
- Manitoba has unveiled a team of front-line workers who will work to cut wait times in hospital emergency rooms by addressing issues across the health-care system that contribute to delays. The average time people waited to see a doctor or a nurse at Winnipeg’s four emergency departments (including the Health Sciences Centre’s children’s ER) and three urgent care centres reached a high of four hours in December of 2023, according to a strategy document released by the province on Thursday.
- A nurse at the hospital in Brandon, Man., was choked and nearly stabbed with a needle by an emergency room patient Monday — a violent incident that reflects a growing wave of abuse and attacks on health-care workers, says the Manitoba Nurses Union. The alarming attack reflects a troubling trend in violence in emergency departments that has nurses fearing for their safety on the job, says Darlene Jackson, the union’s president.
Saskatchewan
- An anti-seizure medication that epilepsy patients have been asking the Saskatchewan government to pay for is now being covered in the province. Xcopri, the brand name for cenobamate tablets, is being added to the Saskatchewan Formulary. In a news release issued Thursday morning, Saskatchewan health minister Jeremy Cockrill acknowledged people living with epilepsy, and the specialists who care for them, have been calling for access to this medication.
- The Saskatchewan government has reduced funding for the Ukrainian Canadian Congress – Saskatchewan Provincial Council (UCC-SPC), which offers settlement services for displaced Ukrainians. The reduction, effective May 1, was part of the provincial budget tabled earlier this year. The province says it reflects a return to normal funding levels after a bump to help deal with the large influx of Ukrainians in the earlier years of the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
- With the federal election a few days behind us, western alienation is already creeping into the political discussion in Saskatchewan. Premier Scott Moe posted a video on social media Tuesday vowing to work with Prime Minister Mark Carney and the federal Liberals, but the post garnered backlash and calls for western separation from some Saskatchewan people.
- In a breakthrough for the federal Liberals in a province dominated by Conservatives, Buckley Belanger won the Saskatchewan riding of Desnethé-Missinippi-Churchill River. Belanger cruised to victory with over 65 per cent share of the votes, after having lost to a Conservative in 2021. Belanger said the atmosphere was electric at his campaign headquarters in La Ronge on Monday night as supporters gathered to mark the victory. He described the moment as “exciting and enormous.”
Alberta
- Several First Nations have denounced Premier Danielle Smith for proposing legislation that would make it easier for a referendum on separating from Canada, with one calling her actions “irresponsible.” Chief Sheldon Sunshine of Sturgeon Lake Cree Nation and Mikisew Cree Nation Chief Billy-Joe Tuccaro accuse Smith of “attempting to manufacture a national unity crisis” by enabling a “fanatical cell of individuals at the exact moment when Canadians need to unite against Donald Trump’s America.”
- Premier Danielle Smith announced on Thursday morning that Alberta would challenge the constitutionality of the national clean energy regulations it claimed would see its residents “freeze in the dark.” In her latest salvo against the rules, Smith painted a colourful picture of what she says would happen if “Ottawa has its way,” and the regulations, which would push electricity generation to net zero by 2035, come to pass: “Families would be bundled up in their winter coats while sitting down for dinner, a dinner lit by flashlight or candle, as they wait for the rolling blackouts to move on to the next community,” she said.
- The idea of Alberta opting out of the Canada Pension Plan isn’t moving ahead — at least for now. Premier Danielle Smith says she won’t be putting the creation of a provincial pension plan to a referendum anytime soon. “I’m not seeing that there’s an appetite to put it to the people at the moment,” Smith told reporters at an unrelated press conference Thursday.
- Danielle Smith has repeatedly said she does not want Alberta to leave Canada, but she has threatened a national unity crisis, and on Tuesday, her government introduced a bill that would make it easier to launch a referendum, including one on Alberta independence. On Facebook, the president of the UCP says the premier is listening to people who want a divorce from Canada, and Bill 54 creates a pathway for that.
British Columbia
- Premier David Eby says it’s time for British Columbia to give back to the Filipino community on a day of remembrance and mourning for victims of the deadly attack on the Lapu Lapu Day festival in Vancouver, and “take steps to ensure such an atrocity never happens again.” Eby issued a statement saying it’s a day to come together to grieve those lost, comfort the injured and support witnesses “whose lives will never be the same after seeing this shocking attack.” The day of mourning comes as the suspect in the killings faces court this afternoon.
- British Columbia’s premier has written to the country’s freshly re-elected prime minister, laying out the province’s priorities. In a letter dated Thursday, David Eby congratulated Mark Carney on his election win and urged him to “commit to a new era of federal-provincial-territorial cooperation.” The missive comes following a campaign in which Carney positioned himself as best prepared to bolster Canada’s economy and sovereignty under the shadow of U.S. President Donald Trump’s tariff and annexation threats.
- B.C. Premier David Eby says he’s not interested in taking the helm of the federal NDP, now that the party finds itself without a leader following Monday’s election. Eby would not say who he thinks should take on the role but acknowledged it will be a “challenging job” after a “tough night” for the party. Jagmeet Singh resigned Monday night as party leader after he lost his seat, and after results indicated the NDP would lose official party status in the House of Commons.
- B.C. Premier David Eby said industry concerns over a pause in the province’s electric vehicle rebate program should be taken seriously, but need to be measured against the need to halt the flow of public money to Tesla Inc. (Nasdaq: TSLA) owner Elon Musk. On Tuesday, the province said it would pause the electric vehicle rebate program starting May 15, at that point effectively halting up to $4,000 in individual rebates meant to help B.C. consumers purchase a new battery-powered car.
Northwest Territories
- Rebecca Alty, the newly elected Liberal MP in the Northwest Territories, says she’s looking forward to representing the territory in Ottawa and getting to work. “It’s definitely a whirlwind,” she said of the election on CBC’s The Trailbreaker Tuesday morning. “It’s so much work leading up to it, and then it’s this big moment, so yeah, really looking forward to it, it’s a really big job,” Alty said the territory is facing big challenges — and that top of mind for residents on the campaign trail had been drugs, housing and the economy. Now that the results are in, she said it’ll be nice to get to work.
Yukon
- Brendan Hanley handily won a second term as Yukon’s Liberal MP, with all but one of the territory’s polls yet to report results. “I’m really honoured and humbled to have earned the trust of Yukoners once again,” Hanley told a crowd of supporters celebrating in Whitehorse on Monday night. With 104 of the territory’s 105 polls reporting, Hanley held a solid lead with 11,687 votes, or 52.8 per cent. Conservative Ryan Leef followed with 8,573 votes, or 38.7 per cent.
Nunavut
- Nunavut’s NDP MP Lori Idlout, who was among the last to find out on Tuesday that she was re-elected to the House of Commons, said she’s “humbled” by her narrow victory in the federal election. Idlout finished with 2,945 votes, just 77 more than Liberal candidate Kilikvak Kabloona’s 2,868 votes. This will be Idlout’s second term as an MP. “I will use this opportunity to make sure that everyone who wanted to be heard still feels heard,” Idlout said, adding that her party – though the NDP has lost its official status, it hasn’t lost its voice.